Afghan President Hamid Karzai to attend Narendra Modi`s swearing-in ceremony

Zee Media Bureau/Ritesh K Srivastava

New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been invited to attend Narendra Modi`s swearing-in ceremony at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on May 26, reports said on Wednesday. According to reports, the Pakistan Prime Minister will be among 3,000 dignitaries who have been invited to attend the function. Besides Pakistan Prime Minister, the heads of governments of the SAARC members countries have also been invited to attend the function. Sharif had formally invited Narendra Modi to visit Pakistan at a convenient time soon after the BJP-led NDA was declared a clear winner in the Lok Sabha elections. It is most likely that the Pakistan PM will accept the invite. Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has also decided to attend the swearing-in ceremony of India`s PM-designate Narendra Modi. Following the footsteps of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Modi has expressed his desire for being sworn at the sprawling forecourt so that a large number of visitors can be accommodated to witness the function. Earlier, Chandrashekar was another Prime Minister who took oath at this venue. Modi will be administered the oath of office by President Pranab Mukherjee on May 26 at 6 pm. The historic `Durbar Hall` at the Rashtrapati Bhavan can accommodate only about 500 people but given the fact that the BJP will be inviting all its allies and other close friends, the forecourt will serve as the better venue. Bharatiya Janata Party had a landslide victory in the just-concluded polls to elect members for the 16th Lok Sabha and crossed the magic figure of 272 in the 543-member House on its own for the first time in its history.